Bus-former.



Patented Sept. I0, I90].

F. C. REINHARDT.

BUST FORMER.

(Application filed Oct. 16, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

INVENIOR,

WITNESSES BY 5 o.

ATTORNEYS.

m: nonms PETERS co. wmoumo wAsnmcmN. D. c.

Patented Sept. 10, 1901.

F. C. REINHABDT.

BUST FORMER.

(Application filed 091;. 1a, 1900.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

INVENTQR, 55M MM ATTORNEYS.

rm: uoRms PETERS co.. wow-mun. msnmmou, n. c,

No. 682,426. Patented Sept. [0, 190i.

F. C. HEINHARDT.

BUST FORMER.

(Application filed Oct. 16, 1900.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

UNITE) STATES PATEN rrion.

FRANZ O. REINIIARDT, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

BUST-FORMER.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,426, datedSeptember 10, 1901.

Application filed October 16, 1900. Serial No. 83,194. (No model.)

To ttZl whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANZ O. REINHARDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pat erson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bust-Formers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to wearing-apparel; and it consists in an improved article of apparel designed to be worn under the waist or other similar body portion of a womans outer garmentto impart the desired fullness and shape to the bust.

If a corset is not made to order, it often fits badly at the front upper portion, partly because there is more material here (and particularly along the edge) than the form of the wearer requires and partly because the upper ends of the ribs are not properly shaped, the consequence being that the corresponding portion of the outer garment has the ap pearance of being extended over a sharp horizontal ridge instead of being rounded. It is particularly with the idea of overcoming this defect that the article of apparel constituting my invention has been designed, and hence it is proposed especially that the article be worn over the usual corset, stiffened by vertical ribs. However, the article may be worn when the ordinary corset is not used, as with a more or less unstiifened corset, and simply with the idea of imparting to the bust the proper shape should the natural form of the wearer lack this.

The invention is fully illustrated in the ac,- companying drawings, in whioh- Figure 1 shows the garment in position over a corset. Fig. 2 is an inside View of the garment, the same being relaxed. Fig. 3 is an inside view of said garment, slightly enlarged and removed from the wearer, as in Fig. 2, but extendedto the wearing shape. Fig. 4

is a detail view of the inside of the garment; and Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are views of a diagrammatic nature illustrating various contours which the garment may have.

The body of the garment may be of runslin, sateen, or other similar material. It consists of a wide substantially rectangular band a, from each end of which extend straps b c. The straps b are adapted to extend around the back of the wearer, to be there joined by an adjustable band (1, of preferably elastic webbing, which is secured by a ring 9 to one of said straps at one of its ends and may be buttoned or otherwise connected at its other end to the other strap. The straps c are intended to extend over the Wearers shoulders, their ends being connected each to the corresponding strap (9 by another adjustable band of elastic webbing f, which is preferably sewed to the strap h and joined to the strap 0 by a ring g.

In the back of the band Ct I provide pairs of elongated vertically-disposed pockets h '2 each pocket '6 being considerably shorter than the corresponding pocket h and alined with the same. In these pockets are adapted to be inserted ribsj of whalebone or steel. The

, adjoining ends of the pockets h z' are somewhat spaced, as at is, and since the pocketsi are quite short the ribs may be removed with convenience when necessary, as when it is desired to wash the garment. It should be remarked that the middle portion of the band a is made with considerable fullness. Furthermore, the pairs of pockets h i, and consequent-1y also, of course, the ribs j, are not parallel on the band, but are spaced more at their middle portions than at their ends. Thus normally, or as seen in Fig. 2, where the ribs are all straight, the fullness. is distributed among the intervals between the several ribs. Therefore when a strain is ex erted longitudinally on the garment, as when it is strapped securely in proper position about the body of the wearer and the straps o are pulling in opposite directions on the band a, the eifect will be to bulge the ribs outwardly, imparting the desired roundness to the garment. This effect is of course due in part also to the fact that the ribs naturally tend to give way-t. e. by bending more readily in the direction of their thickness than in the direction of their width. The fullness which maybe in this way imparted to the bust may-in manycases suftice- Especially is this so where the garment is used simply to hide the unsightly ridge produced by thetop of the corset in the waist or similar outer garment of the wearer. However, in case-it is desired to maintain the bend in the ridge irrespectively of the longitudinal strain exerted by the straps b or to increase the conveXityof the bust I provide straps Z. Said straps are disposed vertically and are preferably four in number, one pair being disposed on one side and the other pair on the other side of the center vertical line of the garment, being secured near their ends to the upper and lower edges of the band a.

They are also secured'to the band a short dis-- tance from their ends, their lengths being to this extent thus practically shortened. Each band consists of two parts an and n, which are adjustably connected together in a wellknown manner by slides 0. By means of these slides the bands may be readily adj usted to impart and maintain any desired-degree of convexity to theribs, and consequently to the garment.

In order that, if desired thegarment may be prevented from working upwardly, I provide a strap '19, which is suspended from the middle-lower portion of the garmentand has at its free end a ring q, which-may be caught over a button attachedto some other garment worn. Moreover, it being observed that the straps I) tend to produce a convexity which is not as natural as it might be, because it is continuous and perfectly unbroken, the strap 19 also serves to break such continuous convexity centrally thereof by straightening out the innermost ribs j. Said strapp thus coacts with the straps b to more perfectly impartthe natural shape to the bust-former.

The straps c act to obviate too great con= vexity in the end ribs and their tendency to press inwardly against the chest of the wearer by straightening out their upper portions.

Having thus fully descri-bedimy'invention, what I claim as-new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An article of apparel consisting of a substantially rectangular band of fabric or other similar material having fullness in its center portion, in combination with straps extending substantially from the middle of the end portions of said band and adapted to secure said article in place over the bosom of the wearer, exerting lateral strains thereon in opposite directions, ribs secured to said band substantially transversely of the direction of strain of said straps and with their end portions nearer to each other than their intermediate portions, and otherstrapsextending.

one from each upper corner of said band and' adapted'to be connected to said first-named straps andanother from the middle'lower'portion of said band and adapted to besecured to someother garment worn by'the wearer,-.:

substantially as described.

2. An'article of apparel consisting of a sub.- stantially rectangular band of fabric-or other similar material having fullness in its center I porti0n,'in combination withstrapsadapted" to secure said article in place over thebosom of the wearer and exert lateralstrains-there on in opposite directions, pairs of spaced alined pockets arranged on theinside of said i band, said pairs of pockets being arranged" substantially transversely of the direction of strain of saidstraps andwith t-heir'end portions nearer to each other than their intermediate portions, and ribs, eachprib'being received'by a pair of pockets and projecting.

at one end into one pocket and at the other end into the other pocket, substantially as 5 

